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Can Sir Dave play a key role at Leicester City? Rob Tanner's Q&A

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Leicester City's football writer Rob Tanner tackles your questions.

Q There are two new faces set to arrive at the King Power Stadium – Terry Robinson as a 'director of football' and Sir Dave Richards. Firstly, what role do you see Robinson having and what credentials does he have?

A Terry has vast experience from his spells as chairman of Bury and Sheffield United, and president of Hungarian side Ferencvárosi. More recently, he has been the academy director at Stoke City and helped them achieve category one status.

Sources say he is coming in as a director of football, but that title is ambiguous as there are so many different models of a director of football. We will ultimately see what his role will be but, I understand, he will be working closely with Nigel Pearson and assisting with squad building, chiefly to help ensure the squad is able to meet the Financial Fair Play criteria.

Q Nigel Pearson doesn't strike me as someone who would like his authority undermined. How do you think the relationship will work?

A I am convinced Pearson would have been involved from the outset in this decision. I understand he knows Robinson and probably even recommended him for the role. I can't imagine City have enforced a director of football on Pearson. That would not be wise.

Q Is the appointment of Robinson a good thing for City, in your opinion?

A Yes. He has great experience and is well respected in the game. If he can help achieve City's main aim of getting the unwanted players on good contracts off the books and enable Pearson to add the players he wants he will have performed a vital role.

Q A lot of the speculation was that Sir Dave Richards was coming as chairman but a number of sources have claimed he has denied it. What is happening?

A I understand Sir Dave will be coming into the club in a senior role, possibly as an advisor or consultant. He has vast experience in football and fantastic contacts. He may divide opinion in some quarters but you can't argue with what he has achieved as chairman of the Premier League, which has become the richest league in the world.

Q What do you expect his role to be? What will he bring to the club?

A I think he will advise chairman Vichai Srivaddhan-aprabha and provide a day-to-day consistent presence at the club. Chief executive Susan Whelan has juggled her role with City with her role within the King Power organisation and quite often is in Thailand on business.

I believe Sir Dave Richards will fill that void.

Q He knows Pearson from his time at Sheffield Wednesday doesn't he? Will Pearson have been consulted on either of the two appointments?

A Pearson was Wednesday captain when Richards was chairman at Hillsborough. They will know each other well. I am sure Pearson would have been aware of the appointments. I would be surprised if he wasn't.

Q The fixture list has been announced, so what is your initial reaction to the challenge Leicester City face at the start of the season?

A Of course you have to play everyone twice at some point, so in what order doesn't really matter. However, City do need to get off to a good start and looking at the opening fixtures I don't think their start is too bad.

It is difficult to really tell who will be strong and who won't, but their first five fixtures are all against sides who were in the division last season, so they will be less of an unknown quantity.

Middlesbrough didn't finish the season very well, while I don't expect Birmingham, who City face in their fourth fixture, to be strong this season. Leeds United could be a surprise challenger but nothing to fear, and Derby County are always strong on home soil, but I can't see them making much of an impact this season.

Wigan Athletic at home on September 14 will be City's toughest test in the opening 10 fixtures.

Q You reported that Hull may not have given up on Kasper Schmeichel just yet. What is the current situation? Will City be looking for a new keeper anytime soon?

A The soured relationship between Hull and City, which started when Pearson left the Tigers to return to City, has made any deal for Schmeichel impossible.

City are reluctant to lose such a good keeper, and certainly will not sell to Hull after their approaches for Cameron Stewart and Robert Koren were scoffed at so indignantly by the Tigers last year.

It would be interesting to see what would happen if another Premier League club comes in for Schmeichel and the player indicated he was keen to take the opportunity.

Q Any updates on players likely to leave the club?

A There appears to have been no headway made in players leaving the club, other than in Jermaine Beckford's case, where it is reported that Bolton are close to doing a deal.

Many players are on very good contracts that other clubs cannot match.

I can imagine they would be reluctant to take a massive pay cut to go elsewhere without getting a pay-off from the club, which the club may be reluctant to do.

Therefore, I wouldn't be surprised if several of them went out on loan next season and ran their contracts down.

Q There has been speculation over James Perch and Karl Henry as potential signings – how likely are we to see them at the King Power?

A I am told there may have been an enquiry about Newcastle's Perch but nothing more and City are not in for Wolves' Henry.

City are unlikely to be recruiting players from the Premier League who are already on big wages.

Instead, I believe that City will follow last summer's policy of recruiting younger players on smaller contracts who Pearson can work with and improve.

Financial Fair Play has frozen the transfer market. Clubs want to get their unwanted players out and won't recruit until they do.

Everyone is in the same boat so no-one is doing any business and there is very little money in the Championship.

Can Sir Dave play a key role at Leicester City? Rob Tanner's Q&A


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